Organisation offers counseling, trauma sessions for communities in Gombe

The People-Oriented Development of Evangelical Church Winning All, ECWA, POD has held a three-day Dialogue, Counseling and Trauma Healing among the Waja and Lunguda Communities in Nyuwar and Jessu Districts of Gombe State.

The aim is to restore peace and break the circle of violence and enmity that have replaced the strong cordial relations between the Lunguda and Waja communities, who had lived together peacefully for centuries.

Declaring the seminar open, the Director of the People-Oriented Development of ECWA, Dr. Ephraim Yuns, said the persistent attacks on Nyuwar Communities prompted the organization to host the programme for the affected communities to have dialogue, counseling, teaching, prayers, and Trauma Healing.

Dr. Yuns told the gathering of 60 participants from Waja and Lunguda Communities in Nyuwar and Jessu Districts, that unless the circle of the conflict was broken in a conflict, the triggers would continue to prevail.

He said the People-Oriented Development of ECWA had been in existence for over 35 years, intervening in the areas of agriculture and Conflict resolutions among Communities.

Dr. Yuns prayed participants, would at the end of the seminar, find the way out of the pains they were.

In his goodwill message, the Paramount Ruler of the area, His Royal Highness, Bala-Waja Muhammad Danjuma Mohammed, with a call to both communities to be ambassadors of peace.

The Bala-Waja commended the People-Oriented Development of ECWA for organizing the seminar, which brought together members of some of the affected people to dialogue and to find ways of putting an end to the recurring conflicts between the Lunguda and Waja tribes.

Bala-Waja called on the Participants to make use of the lessons learnt and be ambassadors when they return home while calling the youths not to allow themselves to be used as tools for violence.

He also called on the two warring communities to control their anger and embrace peace, which was enjoyed for so many years but was abandoned by the persistent attacks.

The Paramount Ruler prayed that God would expose the perpetrators of the conflicts and bring peace to Nyuwar and Jessu Communities.

Similarly, the Commissioner of Police in Gombe State, Mr. Ishola Babatunde Babaita, was represented by the Billiri Area Commander, Assistant Commissioner of Police Ibrahim Samaila.

Mr. Samaila appreciated the ECWA organization for organizing the event aimed at restoring peace in the area while calling on the youths to be Law-abiding citizens and embrace peace.

For the District Heads of Nyuwar, His Highness Mr. James Pisagih the Seminar was successful and appealed to the participants to put into practice what they had learnt and be ambassadors of peace.

Mr. Pisagih commended the ECWA organization and urged the Government to encourage similar peace efforts as demonstrated by the ECWA organization.

Similarly, his counterpart, the District Head of Jessu, Mr. Maina Laban Binus, also commended the ECWA organization for the Peace process, saying the result is beginning to manifest but urged the participants to extend what they have learnt extensively to their communities.

Mr. Binus also encouraged the Government to support peace brokers for peace to resign in their area.

Dr. Ephraim, while thanking God for the successful hosting of the event, said he had seen some positive changes among the participants and prayed that their interactions would improve with visitations.

The Chairman ECWA DCC Kaltungo, Rev. Bulus E. Lilias, advised the participants to put what they have learnt into practice and extend the knowledge with the rest of their Communities.

Speaking on behalf of the participants, Binta Idi, Sige Simon Tsaga, Irmiya Bskari, all promised to make use of the lessons learnt and be good ambassadors of peace in their communities.

Highlights of the occasion included special prayers for peace and confession.